Spring actuated rolling door



Oct. 7, 1958 'L. A. MlCH SPRING ACTUATED ROLLING DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 26, 1956 Fig.6

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Oct. 7, 1958 L. A. MlCH 2,855,035

SPRING ACTUATED ROLLING DOOR Filed March 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Louis A. Mich IN VEN TOR.

United States. Patent SPRING ACTUATED ROLLING DOOR Louis A. Mich, South River, N. J.

Application March 26, 1956, Serial No. 574,016

1 Claim. (Cl. 160-23) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in doors for cellar entrances or similar outside structures and more particularly to a spring actuated rolling door.

An important object of the invention is 'to provide a metal door composed of hingedly connected slats sliding in guide channels supported at a cellar entrance and connecting the upper end of the door to a spring actuated drum for rolling the door upwardly thereon into an open position.

Another object is to construct the guide channels with an upstanding flange to prevent entrance of water under the door and with the door arranged to ride on the relatively narrow edge of the flange to reduce friction.

A further object is to provide a rolling cellar door of simple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the door in partly open position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on a line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on a line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the door secured in closed position;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken on a line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the spring drum; and

Figures 7 and 8 are enlarged transverse sectional views taken respectively on the lines 7-7 and 88 of Figure 6.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals 5 and 6 designate the side walls of a sloping metal enclosure which is suitably secured at the outside of a building over cellar steps 7.

A housing 8 is supported on top of the enclosure closely against the wall of the building and bearing cuts 9 and 10 are welded or otherwise suitably secured to the inside of the end Walls of the housing and in which the ends of a tubular shaft 11 are journaled. A coil spring 12 is positioned in the shaft with one end 13 of the spring anchored to an adjacent bearing and with the other end 14 of the spring anchored to the adjacent end of the shaft for turning the shaft when the spring is placed under tension. The shaft is welded or otherwise suitably secured centrally in a drum 15 and with the ends of the shaft projecting outwardly at the ends of the slot 16 for movement of a flexible or rolling door 17 into the housing for winding and unwinding on the drum. The door is constructed of parallel metal slats 18 having interlocking rolled headings forming a hinge structure 21. The slats are undulated. to strengthen the same and the side edges of the door are slidable in a pair of opposed channel guides 22 and 23 which are suitably secured on the upper edges of the side walls 5 and 6 of the enclosure.

The lower portion of each channel guide is formed with an upstanding flange 24 on the relatively narrow upper edge of which the lower portion of the headings of the hinge structure rides to reduce friction during opening and closing sliding movement of the door in the guides. The flnage 24 also serves to drain water downwardly in the channels and prevents the water from working under the door to enter the cellar.

The lowermost slat 25 of the door is provided with a handle 26 for pulling the door downwardly and a catch lug or hook 27 is hin-gedly secured on top of lowermost slot 25 adjacent each channel guide and is swingable upwardly for engaging the lower end of the guide channel to hold the door in its lowered position, as shown in Figure 4. In order to raise the door the lug 27 is swung downwardly into the channel as shown by dotted lines in Figure 4, and spring 12 will slide the door upwardly for rolling the door on the drum 15.

A rubber sealing strip 28 is secured to the lower edge of the door between the guide channels for contacting the top step 29 of the cellar entrance to prevent entrance of water therein.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A closure for cellar entrances comprising a pair of side walls and a top step defining the cellar entrance, said side Walls having inclined upper edges, an inwardly facing channel-shaped guide mounted on the upper edge of each of the side walls, a hollow housing mounted transversely at the upper end of the guides, a spring actuated drum mounted within said housing, a flexible door mounted on said drum, said housing having an entrance slot aligned with the guides for permitting the door to wind on and unwind from said drum, the side edges of said door being slidably received in said guides, said door including a plurality of parallel slats having the side edges thereof flexibly interconnected with edge beadings, each of said guides having an upturned narrow inner edge on the bottom wall for sliding contact with the undersurface of the headings for supporting the major part of the door elevated above the bottom wall of the guide and guiding water downwardly for preventing leakage of water inwardly of the guides, the outermost slat being provided with a pivotal latch for swinging upward- 1y about a transverse axis for engagement with the end of the upper wall of one of the guides for holding the door in extended position, and a hollow sealing bead of resilient material on the lower inner edge of the outermost slat for engagement wtih the top step for preventing leaking of water past the bottom of the door.

(References on following page) References Citedin the file of this' patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cornell Mar. 24, 1925 Petro Feb. 2, 1932 5 Miller July 18, 1933 

